Blue Jays' Alek Manoah, Yankees' Gerrit Cole exchange words after hit-by-pitch
Things got a little heated during Sunday’s series finale between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.
With the Yankees leading 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, right-hander Alek Manoah lost control of a 91.9 m.p.h. sinker, hitting Aaron Judge’s left arm. The towering 6-foot-7 outfielder exchanged words with Manoah before walking to first base, but cooler heads prevailed.
Judge’s teammate, Gerrit Cole, didn’t show that same level of calmness. Instead, the 31-year-old right-hander immediately ran out of his team’s dugout and started yelling at Manoah, showing his frustration over the hit-by-pitch.
The five-time All-Star had to be held back by his teammates as he continued jawing with the Blue Jays hurler, although he wasn’t ejected from the game by the umpires.
Aaron Judge had words for Alek Manoah and Gerrit Cole was quick to come out of the dugout pic.twitter.com/KnUDe0gjMh
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 21, 2022
Cole took exception to Manoah accidentally hitting Judge, who leads the majors in home runs with 46. He eventually returned to the dugout, though, allowing the game to continue without any further fuss.
The Yankees went on to score two additional runs in the seventh inning, thanks to outfielder Andrew Benintendi’s two-run blast off reliever Adam Cimber. That was ultimately the difference as they defeated the Blue Jays 4-2.
After the game, Manoah was asked about hitting Judge and said that wasn’t his intention. He also responded to Cole’s reaction, saying, “I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time.”
Asked about hitting Judge with a pitch and the reaction from Gerrit Cole, #BlueJays starter Alek Manoah said “I’m not trying to do that and I think (Judge) understood that. I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time”
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) August 21, 2022
For context, Manoah was referring to the Audi logo that’s located between the first-base foul line and New York’s dugout at Yankee Field.
This isn’t the first time Manoah has been involved in heated exchanges like this recent one with Cole. The 2022 All-Star’s competitiveness has been highlighted several times throughout his young big-league career, particularly versus divisional opponents.
The Blue Jays and Yankees won’t see each other again until September 26 at Rogers Centre - during the club’s final homestand of the regular season. So any potential rematch will have to wait until then.
Manoah and his team will enjoy an off-day on Monday before beginning a three-game set at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, which is sure to feature plenty of intensity of its own.
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